What stands out worked out from the figures below

Willimantic has the most affordable homes ($191k median).

Providence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Willimantic	Providence
People
Population	18,096Lowest	191,767Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	31.3±2.7Lowest 20% below U.S.	32.8±0.5Highest 16% below U.S.
	Providence and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Willimantic and Providence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	11.6%±0.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Providence and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	19.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	14.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,962±$7kLowest 43% below U.S.	$68,119±$3kHighest 16% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$190,900±$17kLowest 43% below U.S.	$362,200±$8kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,063±$68Lowest 25% below U.S.	$1,408±$42Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,678Highest 50% above U.S.	$4,418Lowest 42% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Willimantic and Providence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	34.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	41.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Highest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 12% below U.S.	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.
Work from home	6.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.3%±1.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#36 of 38 in RI
School district	—	MET Career and Tech · Urban Collaborative
High school in town	—	Classical High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	17.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.